The word "rood" comes from the Saxon word "rode," which means "cross". The rood screen is so called because it is a screen surmounted by the Rood -- a large figure of the crucified Christ -- and it separates the sanctuary from the nave of the church. The rood screen at Our Lady of the Atonement Church is a major architectural feature of the interior, with the central arch providing a frame for the tabernacle and altar. The pictures below begin with our rood screen, followed by pictures of other screens (many of which are medieval in origin).
Our Lady of the Atonement Church, San Antonio, Texas
(Another view, below)
(Another view, below)
Our Lady of the Atonement Rood Screen
(above, decorated for Easter)
St. Brinius, Dorcester-on-Thames, near Oxford
All Saints Church, Turkdean, Gloucestershire
Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh
All Saints Church, Litcham, Norfolk
(The Rood was destroyed at the time of the Protestant Reformation)
The Minster, Boscastle, Cornwall
(This is a Rood Beam, instead of a full screen)
